The Mysterious Forest
by Z89J
Summary: This is the continuation of my first Pokémon FanFic- Humble Beginnings. Join Ash and Squirtle as they track through a strange and eerie forest, who knows what they'll encounter...?
1. The Road Ahead

Hours feel like minutes…

Minutes feel like seconds…

Ash's eyes shot open, he bolted into the kitchen like the flash. Breakfast awaited, Delia had made his favourite, scrambled eggs on French toast. Ash made short work of it and hurried back to his room to get changed. Conversation was short, Ash hated goodbyes, he figured that ignoring the inevitable was the best way to deal with it.

A ten year old boy out in the Pokémon World all by himself, he was thrilled by just the thought of it, the endless possibilities sparked a fire deep within his soul.

Jacket over his shoulders, fingerless gloves pulled over his hands, red cap turned backwards, Pokéball secured tightly on his belt, Ash was ready, all those years of waiting had led to this moment, this was his moment!

Bursting with excitement, he ran into the kitchen grabbing his Mom tightly, never wanting to let go. Delia hugged him back, not wanting to let go either. This was the day she had to let her son become independent, he wasn't a baby anymore, today he makes his own path in this strange and wonderful world of Pokémon.

"Take this backpack, it has everything you need, make sure you always have it on you."

"Thanks Mom, I'll never step foot anywhere without it, I promise."

They both nodded with faint smiles, fighting back tears.

As quickly as he woke up, the door slammed behind Ash and he was off. Armed only with a backpack, a Squirtle, and a bold determination unmatched by anyone else in all the Pokémon World.

This is his life, his choices, his path… and destiny awaits.


	2. Ash Catches a Pokémon

Everything seemed brighter outside, the sky oozed a cool blue, the sun peering through the cloudy horizon. Ash breathed in the picturesque landscape and asked his first question, _Where am I going? _

A great question indeed, as there was no right answer. Quite like, is blue or red better? It comes down to the individual's opinion, and this was Ash's journey, he chooses whichever path he likes.

A powerful feeling of independence surged within, he'd always looked for guidance on important questions, but now the buck stopped with him. Ash marvelled at the rising sun with no particular hurry.

After walking for what felt like half an hour, he found himself on the outskirts of Pallet Town, a thicket of bushes and shrubbery blocked the passageway just ahead.

Up to this point, Ash had expected to see an abundance of Pokémon. Growing up in Pallet, Ash spent a lot of his childhood playing hide and seek with Eevee, swinging on low branches with Mankey, and even snorkelling with Goldeen. But today, only the odd Pidgey and Jigglypuff could be spotted. But Ash wasn't bothered by this, he kept imagining all the magnificently strange Pokémon he would encounter on his travels.

He changed his dream battle team a million times, constantly switching favourites, and this was only from the Pokémon he knew existed. A friend once told him that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of Pokémon that no one has ever laid eyes on yet. Not even the Elite Four or Pokémon Professors knew about these undiscovered creatures. This kept Ash awake some nights, he tried everything within his power to imagine just one new Pokémon that nobody had ever seen before, but he just lay there wide eyed, gazing at the ceiling, still without the faintest clue.

As he was walking into the tall grass, he turned back and stole one last gaze at the place where he grew up. This was where his love for Pokémon had first begun, and now it was reaching its full potential. It was all too overwhelming, he turned on his heel and fled into the tall grass, using avoidance as his only coping mechanism for the emotional heaviness of goodbyes. A new thought briefly replaced the last one as Ash realised the shrubbery was so dense that his shoes weren't visible. But before he cottoned on to this new information, his arms flailed as he lurched headfirst into the chunky overgrowth.

Dazed and confused, a swift rustling encircled Ash, it seemed to come from all directions. It grew louder… quicker… Ash's heart was pounding, still disoriented from the fall. Through his blurry vision he could scarcely make out a small purple blob, flashing through the surrounding grass. His Pokédex lay beside him, just out of reach.

Ash suspected it was a wild Pokémon, with no time to lose he clutched his Pokéball and thrust it skyward. Out popped Squirtle, fists clenched and ready for action. The purple blob seemed to gain speed by the second, and Squirtle couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.

"Squirtle, Water Gun 360 degrees"

Ash slowly started to regain composure as spatters of water showered the surrounding area.

"Okay Squirtle, now use your Skull Bash Attack"

The small purple Pokémon was struck and let out a sullen whimper. It lay flat on its back with glazed eyes.

"Pokéball Go!"

… … …

A green light illuminated the Pokéball, completing the catch.

"Alright! Woooohooo! Did you see that Squirtle, my first Pokémon caught, we make one hell of a team!"

"Squirtle Squirt"

Ash walked over to the Pokéball, still elated with his first catch. But he was still unsure as to what was inside the ball. He remembered seeing a small blobby Pokémon a few years ago, but he recalled it as pink, not purple.

"Alright Pokémon, come out"

…

A small, furry, rat shaped Pokémon jumped out of the Pokéball and scurried around Ash's feet. Still perplexed, Ash whipped out Dexter:

"Rattata, a Forest Pokémon. It likes cheese, nuts, fruits, and berries. It also comes out into open fields to steal food from stupid travellers."


	3. Unexpected Attacker

Filled with the excitement of catching his first Pokémon, Ash ran ahead into the thick grass and low-hanging trees, eager to find more.

_Wow, a Ratatta. I've seen them on TV before but never in person. _He thought.

The tall grass and low-lying trees faded into the background as Ash replayed his first catch on a continuous loop in his mind. Without realising it, he headed into a much denser part of the forest, an eerie presence filled the cool, dusk air. Eventually, Ash slowly drifted back into reality, turning a rapid 360, he quickly noticed unfamiliar territory.

_Where the hell am I? I can't see anything past these huge trees on either side of me._

Frozen in surprise and bewilderment, Ash was stunned and without answers.

_I know, Mom must have packed me a map in my backpack._

After fishing around for a few seconds, he pulled out a fully labelled map of the Kanto region.

_So if I left Pallet Town and went up, then I must be here, in Viridian City… Right?_

After a quick glance around, nothing resembling a city revealed itself.

_Okay, not to worry, maybe it's just up ahead, but which way-_

CAA-KKRRSSHHSHH!

Ash ducked for cover…

Outta nowhere, a small yellow ball crashed into the tree right next to Ash's head.

_What the hell is it with this stupid forest and Pokémon attacking me!?_

The round yellow ball uncurled, a pointy head popped up, staring directly at Ash.

Dexter, what is this thing?

"Sandshrew, it burrows and lives underground. If threatened, it curls itself up into a ball for protection."

"Aaah, a Sandshrew… oh yeah, I remember seeing one of these near Professor Oak's house. Well Sandshrew, prepare to be my third Pokémon.

Squirtle Go!"

Squirtle leaped onto Sandshrew and used a nasty Bite Attack, Sandshrew recoiled in shock.

"Alright Squirtle, great job. Now use Quick Attack and finish the job."

Sandshrew was taken off guard by the sheer pace of Squirtle's Quick Attack, it struck the tree hard for the second time in the space of a few minutes.

"Hah, didn't even put up a fight, Pokéball Go!"

… … …

A green light flashed on the Pokéball, securing the catch.

"Oooohhhh yeaahhhhhh! Second Pokémon caught, and it's still only my first day. I'm a natural, whatdya reckon Squirtle?"

Squirtle rolled his eyes, knowing that he did all the hard work, all his master did was throw a ball. Still, Squirtle loved being a part of the experience. He was Ash's first choice in battle, but would it always be that way?


	4. An Odd Little Pond

Ash trudged on in an unknown direction, but that was far from his mind. Running his fingers over the Pokéballs on his waist, it felt surreal that he already had two new addition in seemingly no time at all. Even more surprisingly, they had both found him.

"If it's that easy, I'll have caught them all by the time I get out of this-" Ash's voice trailed off as he quickly remembered he had no idea where he was going. His head whirled as swaying trees towered menacingly above, faint rays of light flickered through the enormous branches.

Squirtle plodded alongside Ash, still buzzing from the last battle.

Ash weaved through a thicket of pointy branches, emerging in a small clearing with a pond in the center. Despite the dim light, Ash briefly caught sight of a spherical blue grape with stumpy legs and spiky hair.

_Another Pokémon? _Ash questioned. _Oh well, it's worth a shot… _

"Squirtle, Water Gun Attack!"

Squirtle pounced into action, leaping high above the pond and spraying everything in the clearing… including Ash.

A stifled cry rang out from behind the rocks at the far edge of the pond. Ash and Squirtle simultaneously snapped their heads in the same direction.

"It's over there behind the rocks. Rapid Spin Attack Now!"

A dizzying spin of brown and blue smashed through the rubble and sent the odd diminutive Pokémon flying upwards.

"Great work Squirtle! Pokéball Go!"

… … …

A green light lit up the Pokéball, finishing the catch mid-air.

A sense of calm flooded Ash's mind, he was really starting to get the hang of this catching Pokémon thing, like it was a game.

The calm vanished and gave way to panic as he saw the Pokéball descending onto the cold, unforgiving stones below.

"Squirtle… The Pokéball!"

It was no use, Squirtle was exhausted from all the battling and was taking a well-deserved nap, bobbing on the surface.

Without inhibition, Ash sprinted around the perimeter, launched off a sturdy, elongated rock, catching the Pokéball inches above smashing on the tough, gritty surface. One thing Ash didn't factor in was his own momentum. Safely cradling the Pokéball didn't prevent him from careening into the middle of the pond, barely missing a relaxed Squirtle floating atop the once peaceful waters.

Ash resurfaced to a glaring Squirtle blasting his face with warm water. Ash let out a muffled laugh, splashing water back at Squirtle in a playful manner.

_The Pokéball! _Ash remembered, looking around frantically.

It popped up on the right edge of the water, still in one piece. Ash awkwardly swam over to it, the water wasn't as deep as it had appeared from above. Just as he was about to place his fingers around it, a white light beamed from the ball…

The mysterious creature appeared on the shoreline. Ash reached for Dexter in his backpack and scanned this short, plump, blob of a thing:

"Oddish, this Pokémon grows by absorbing moonlight. During the daytime, it buries itself in the ground, leaving only its leaves exposed to avoid detection by its enemies."

"An Oddish huh… apt name for such a weird little thing. But wait, how did we find it in the dayti-" Ash slowly tilted his head up to see a bright, gleaming moon staring back at him.

"What luck, I never would have caught this during the day, I probably passed a hundred on the way here and didn't even notice, its hair looks just like a plant."

_I guess Pokémon really do come in all different shapes and sizes. _Ash thought as he called Oddish back into its Pokéball.

"Come on Squirtle, you need to rest too. I'll find a place to stay the night and you can come out tomorrow."

Squirtle nodded with heavy eyes, a rest sounded amazing after three tough consecutive battles.

Ash gazed wearily over the four Pokéballs hanging off his belt.

"Four down… Who knows how many to go… Even if it's four hundred or four thousand… I will catch them all!" He muttered as he slowly drifted off into slumber.


	5. Don't Let the Bed-Bugs Bite

A slow burning ball of yellow and orange peered its head above the horizon. A tired traveller awoke, stretched out, and continued on his journey. Not even exhaustion could come between him and his dream of becoming the best!

For the first time since he got lost in the forest, Ash thought he saw a way out. The trees appeared as though they got thinner, the morning light was seeping in through weak branches. A rush of blood shot through Ash.

_Escape… _

Freedom lay just ahead, he could see it… taste it.

A slow jog quickly became a fast sprint toward the exit, loose vines and sharp thistles went unnoticed in his haste. He could see it now, right in front of him, almost like he could reach out and touch it-

TTTHHHUUDDDDD!

After three summersaults and a commando roll, Ash glanced back dizzily to figure out how he fell. He saw nothing, only feeling the pulsing of rushing blood to his throbbing head.

"Poison Sting Attack!" A distant voice commanded.

_Uhh, that can't be good. _Ash thought.

"AAAHHHH!" A sharp pain pierced his left knee, a sticky liquid oozed down his leg, trickling into his left shoe.

Still partially blinded, Ash grabbed the first Pokéball he could get his sticky hands on.

Ratatta hit the ground running, obeying the vague command of "Get it" from its pain-stricken master.

Rattata landed a devastating blindside Quick Attack, followed by a bolstering Tackle from behind. But the mysterious opponent was strong, and well trained.

"Use String Shot" the same strange voice bellowed.

A wall of white darted for a scurrying Rattata. It knew it couldn't outrun the slick string, so it did what any Pokémon whose trainer was incapacitated would do… it improvised.

A quick hop onto an extended plant leaf, a jump step over to a raised pile of pebbles, springing into a backflip landing on the head of the rival Pokémon, finished off with one hell of a Bite Attack. This extravagant manoeuvre ended the battle immediately.

Rattata was the victor!

But who or what was defeated…?

Ash slowly regained consciousness as he staggered to his feet.

"Dexter, help me out"

"Weedle, a common sight in forests and grassy areas. Has a poison stinger on its head that may be used if you step on it."

"Hmm, I don't know about a common sight, but its stinger sure packs one hell of a poison punch. Let's catch this little troublemaker before it wakes up and attacks another person. Pokéball G-"

A slender hand swung out from behind a bush and swatted the Pokéball away from it's intended target.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing? I'm going to catch that little bug, I beat it fair and square."

"Oh… is that so… Weedle return." The voice loomed menacingly.

A fine red light sucked the fainted Weedle back into its Pokéball, held by this mysterious figure beside the bushes.

"Who are you?" Ash asked in frustrated bemusement.

"I am Gordon the Great, there is no bug catcher that even comes close to my impeccable skills and breathtaking prowess. How dare you send your puny little rat upon a prized fighter like my Weedle, it doesn't even deserve to be in the same forest as my brave bug!"

Ash's head swirled with confusion, he knocked his head with a stiff palm to make sure he was hearing this crazy kid correctly.

"Uh, okay… Besides the fact that my Ratatta swamped your little insect, even without my direction. What the hell are you doing ordering your Pokémon to attack people?"

"People are weak, they need to be strengthened by withstanding attacks, it's the only way." A mad lunacy shimmered in his eyes.

_At least now I know he's unhinged for certain. _Ash thought.

What was once fear quickly turned into rage, sheer anger at the thought of someone instructing their Pokémon to injure unsuspecting trainers.

"Well Gordon, how would you like a taste of your own medicine?"

_No, then I would be no better than him, I have to do this the right way_. Ash thought, as countless possible scenarios flashed before his eyes.

"How about a battle? Surely you have another bug stronger than that weakling." Ash taunted.

A maligned smirk lit up Gordon's face. "Oh, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. But I don't have all day to waste on a wimp like you, I'll give you one chance to defeat me, one on one, let's do this!"

"That's all I need." Ash gritted his teeth and rubbed his knee, the poison was mostly gone but the swelling had just begun.

_It's payback time you snivelly little prick! _


	6. Sweet Revenge

"Sandshrew I Choose You!" Ash said with a dogged steel in his voice.

"Hah, how predictable." Gordon snickered. "Let's go Venomoth!"

_What's that thing? _Ash asked Dexter:

"Venomoth, when it attacks, it flaps its large wings violently to scatter its poisonous powder all around."

"Another bug that spits out poison, great." Ash rolled his eyes.

"Well this time I'm prepared, and I'll take the first move. Sandshrew, blind it with your Sand Attack"

A flurry of sand whipped into the air where Venomoth hovered above. Venomoth snapped forward dodging the incoming attack with ease.

"Tackle Attack" Gordon ordered.

Sandshrew was taken aback, surprised at the ease by which Venomoth dodged the Sand Attack.

"Sandshrew, get your head in the battle. Swift Attack"

A band of stars bombarded Venomoth, visibly shaken by its sheer power.

"Alright Venomoth enough games, show em what your Poison Powder can do"

Venomoth's large wings beat in a hypnotic, rhythmic dance. A fuzzy mist of violet droplets cascaded down around Sandshrew, like magnificent purple rain.

"Sandshrew, Defense Curl NOW!" Ash shouted, realising the urgency of the situation.

Sandshrew withdrew, curling into a ball. The powder gently flitted over its contorted frame.

"Alright Venomoth we've got em right where we want em.

Move in for a Psybeam Attack!"

_Shit, a Psybeam would knock Sandshrew out, even in Defense Curl. I have to act fast. Okay Sandshrew, wait until Venomoth is close enough… wait…_

"Hah, you're just going to let your Sandshrew sit there and take it, you're even more stupid then I thought."

Ash ignored Gordon, he knew his strategy would work if he could just concentrate and execute the timing.

_Just one more flap of its wings and… _

"Sandshrew, Sand Attack now!"

A second flurry of sand darted straight into Venomoth's eyes. This time it didn't miss because Ash lured Venomoth into close striking distance by playing dead with Defense Curl. Clever strategy, now to finish it off.

"Roll into a Fury Swipes Attack right now, while it's still blinded"

A small round ball of yellow and brown whizzed into the air, exploding into a rage of fury with some swipes mixed in. Venomoth thundered into the ground with a deafening thud…

It wasn't moving…

Venomoth had fainted…

Sandshrew had won the battle!

"Wooohoooooo! Alright, that's how it's done! We won fair and square, how do you like that one Gordy?" Ash was more smug than usual, this victory was sweet, it was personal.

But there was no retort, no brash outburst of anger, not even the paltry sound of a measly excuse that Ash was certain would be filling the still, forest air. Gordon was silent, head bowed, dejected, a trainer who had overestimated his power and skimped on strategy. He said not a word, careful not to even glance in Ash's direction. Even as he recalled Venomoth into its Pokéball, the deafening silence rang in Ash's ears.

_Why isn't he saying anything?_ Ash thought, still not taking one eye off his defeated opponent.

Eerily, unexpectedly, the once confident bug catcher trailed off into the deep expanse of the woodland, without so much as a word in reply to Ash's taunt. He had eaten his own words and they tasted rather bitter, quite similar to the poison he inflicted upon presumably many Pokémon trainers. Ash really had given him a taste of his own medicine, but it was done the right way, with a good old fashioned Pokémon battle.

Nothing more needed to be said, Sandshrew and a clever battle strategy had done all the talking, now was the time to rest and celebrate.

When would Ash lose his first battle…?

Would another Weedle appear for him to catch…?

Would he ever see that little bug loser ever again…?

All these questions floated through his mind, but they faded into the background as he slowly looked upwards. Bright hot rays of sunlight baked his face in a warm glow, a satisfying surge of warmth shot through his body. The sudden realisation had struck him like a thunderbolt… He was finally out of that blasted forest!


End file.
